SARASOTA, Fla. — Every player who has played the game knows the sinking feeling that comes from seeing a referee stride purposefully toward you and reach into their pocket for a card. Will it be red or yellow?
In my case, it was plastic and of varied hues: Christina Unkel, a veteran FIFA official, insisted on paying for the coffee ahead of our hourlong chat last month, handing her credit card over the counter to the cashier.
That's not exactly journalism etiquette but I wasn't about to argue with a referee — especially one who is also a lawyer — since the two professions evoke fervor and fury.
